Rift

Rift isn’t just the next PC MMO to hit shelves, it is also the first step in Trion Worlds’ plans to transform online gaming.

At first glance the game may seem like any other online RPG, but there’s plenty of new things going on, including highly-polished gameplay and features that can transform the in-game world forever.

“After years of hard work by hundreds of dedicated people, all aspiring to hit that triple-A quality bar in everything we do, we are now letting gamers get a real sense of what Trion is all about,” says Trion Worlds SVP of publishing David Reid.

“We’ve got an aggressive creative campaign which no MMO gamer has been able to miss, and we’re investing a large amount of our total spend in the channel.

“We’ve had hundreds of thousands of gamers in our beta already, and we’re seeing great results in terms of driving people to retail to pre-order the game.”

Creating a Rift

Players can choose from four traditional classes – warrior, rogue, cleric and mage – each with their own sub-classes that add depth to the experience. And then embark on a mission to save the land of Telara from evil.

As gamers progress through the adventure, rifts in space occasionally tear their way open, spawning enemies out into the world. If players fail to close the rifts, the sky turns black and that area remains permanently changed.

These rifts change both the game world and the way that players battle each other. New strategies and opportunities appear depending on how badly each area has been altered by these random occurrences.

Trion Worlds also says Rift’s March release period is perfect for gamers who have already conquered the content of December’s World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and are hungry for something new.

“As those gamers start looking for something new and fresh, Rift is perfectly positioned to capture their interest,” adds Reid.

“Many recent MMOs have had a nice initial burst of sales at launch, but then it trailed off quickly when gamers became disappointed with buggy products, which lacked key features. Rift is complete and polished, period.

“We have consistently heard feedback from the community and press that they’ve seen games launched with less polish than Rift had in its alpha stage.

“This quality is as important to retail as it is to us, as it means the title will keep selling over a much longer period of time, rather than suffer a huge drop-off in sales like other MMOs.”

MMO marketing

Trion Worlds is pushing Rift with a large-scale marketing campaign to ensure the game is a triple-A release.

Online

Rift benefited from a teaser campaign throughout Q3 and Q4 last year. Ads on various specialist websites generated early consumer interest in the game and the Facebook page already has almost 100,000 fans.

TV

Several TV advertisements ran in January to kick off the game’s launch campaign proper. Trion Worlds has seen Rift’s presence raised thanks to the publisher’s ongoing partnership with Syfy.

Retail

A trade and retail marketing campaign running throughout February and March will drive day-one sales and pre-orders for Rift. This includes POS materials to ensure retailers are pushing the title to buyers around launch.

Post-release push

Rift will also benefit from a large marketing drive following its release on March 4th. This kicks off in summer.

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